


She’s Not You

by Quaggy



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Gen, Season/Series 03, no Mandy-hate here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 13:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7104607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quaggy/pseuds/Quaggy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A couple of years after she left DC, Mandy meets up with an old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She’s Not You

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted July 9, 2007. Set during season 3, even though Mandy wasn't mentioned again after Season 1. I may or may not have been responding more to the fandom characterization of Mandy than anything that appeared in canon. This was also my way to give Mandy more of an exit.

You wait for her at that little café you both like, a couple blocks from the White House. You don’t like to darken the door of your former place of employment any more than you have to. You know what they think of you. Bitch. Troublemaker. Traitor. Coward. Maybe you deserve it. You were the only staff member to take off after Rosslyn, running as fast and as far away as you could manage. You think you might deserve some scorn for that.

But you never deserved the way the office gossips tore you to shreds on a personal level. The way they tell it, you’ve spent the better part of your career as the woman scorned, trying to get back at Josh Lyman and torture his oh-so-innocent and pretty little assistant. . . whether out of jealousy because of the way they just seemed to “fit" or because she was young, blond and gorgeous, you were never sure.

Of course, you muse as Donna breezes through the door, they don’t realize what a devious mind that innocent little assistant has when she applies herself. It’s one of the reasons you liked her right from the start. Anyone who could make not only Josh Lyman do her bidding, but Toby Ziegler as well was someone you’ll always want to count among your friends. And wouldn't that shock those gossips?

You haven’t really kept in touch since you left town. An occasional e-mail here and there. You were supposed to get together last time you were in town, but she suddenly cancelled. You had no idea what the reason was until the President announced a few weeks later that he has MS. You were worried about what this would mean for everyone’s future, but Donna looks relatively relaxed and happy so things must be going well.

“Did you have any trouble getting away?” you ask, as you both peruse the menu.

“Nope. Quiet day. And Josh cancelled his lunch with Amy to cover the office so I wouldn’t have to race back.”

“That was nice of him,” you observe dryly.

“Actually, I think he did it for his own sake. She’s been harassing him about the Child Health Care bill.”

“Isn’t that a little premature?”

“That never stopped Amy.”

“So. . . Do we like this new girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

“You sound unsure.”

“I just thought. . . She’s not you. I always thought that when Josh started dating someone seriously, it would be the same. I’d have a co-conspirator again. Someone to laugh with over the dumb things. Someone to help me get revenge when Josh becomes too overbearing. But it’s not like that. I mean, she’s friendly enough, but. . . I guess I was foolish to think I could get that camaraderie back.” 

“We had fun,” you grin.

“We had Josh quaking in his boots!” she snickers.

“And then when CJ got involved. . .” you trail off, laughing too hard to continue, and the two of you are off reminiscing. You talk about office gossip and Donna’s new boyfriend. He’s an environmental lawyer with Sacks and Perkins. He probably doesn’t deserve her, but Josh is letting him live, so you will too. You share stories from the private sector and she tells you about LemonLyman.com and those behind the scenes details about the Stackhouse Filibuster that you missed out on by being a private citizen. You can’t believe how much your friend has grown in her job since you’ve been gone. Before you know it, it’s time for her to go, leaving you to your thoughts and a half-drunk cup of coffee. 

Amy is a fool for not trying to befriend Donna. With a boyfriend as mule-headed and exasperating as Josh, it helps to have someone who understands and can offer advice. There are so many reasons to be friends with Donna, but you think that alone would be reason enough. You suppose that Amy might feel threatened by Josh and Donna’s close relationship. They seemed to be able to read each other’s minds from the moment Donna volunteered, which could be uncomfortable for Josh’s significant other. But even back when you were Josh’s significant other, you never worried about your boyfriend’s gorgeous blond assistant, because you knew that you had Donna’s loyalty. Of course, you’re not standing in their way anymore. Quite the opposite, in fact. Because loyalty is a funny thing. In order for it to work, it has to go both ways. . . . 

When you’re loyal to your friends, you want what’s best for them. You want Donna to be with someone who will make her happy. Who can see past her sweet, innocent façade and know that there is an intelligent, capable woman underneath. Someone who will treat her with respect. And now, your loyalty to Donna (and Josh too, if you’re honest with yourself) has you hoping that some day, you'll dance at their wedding.


End file.
